Stimulus-dependent inhibition of superoxide generation by prostaglandins.

Infiltrating phagocytes generate superoxide anion (O2-) and prostaglandin (PG) at sites of inflammation. Thus PG-O2- interactions may be important to the initiation and control of inflammation. PGE1, PGE2, and PGD2 inhibit O2- generation (as measured by superoxide dismutase-inhibitable reduction of ferricytochrome c) in a dose-dependent manner (10(-6)-10(-9) M) when human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMN) are stimulated with 10(-7) M of the chemotactic peptide, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP). These PG did not alter O2- generation when PMN were stimulated with 0.1 microgram/ml phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or 1 mg/ml serum-treated zymosan (STZ). Increments of cyclic AMP (cAMP) (peak: fourfold) in PGE1, PGE2, and PGD2 treated PMN stimulated with PMA or STZ (in which O2- was not reduced) were similar to those in PG-treated PMN stimulated with FMLP (in which O2- was reduced markedly). High concentrations of theophylline and dibutyryl cAMP reduced FMLP and STZ stimulated O2- generation but had no effect on PMA stimulation, suggesting that the stimuli induce different sensitivities to the effects of cellular cAMP. PGF2 alpha had little effect on O2- generation or cAMP levels regardless of the stimulus. PGE1 did not inhibit binding of FML(3H)P to PMN and did not scavenge O2- anions. Therefore the effect of PG on O2- production is dependent on the specific stimulator and an increased concentration of cAMP in activated PMN is by itself not sufficient to limit O2- generation induced by all stimuli.